SAVANNAH - Mashed, hashed or baked, it's time to celebrate the potato.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
Ryan Moon, of Ed & Jeans in Port Byron, checks the meat on his grill during the first day of the Potato Fest in Savannah Friday.
Ryan Moon, of Ed & Jeans in Port Byron, checks the meat on his grill during the first day of the Potato Fest in Savannah Friday.
The Potato Fest kicked off its 12th year Friday.
Barbara and Donald Martin come all three days each year to event off of Route 31 in Savannah.
The Elbridge couple look forward every year to perusing the rows of crafts in the flea market portion of the event.
“We always to come and watch the music (show) and the potato wrestling,” Barbara said.
She also takes the opportunity to pick up local vegetables. The Savannah Chamber of Commerce peddle produce for a fund-raiser.
More women and children are getting in on the action at Potato Fest, Don Rouland said. However, Rouland didn't bring any of his 24 tractors to display at the event this year. He said he is looking forward to watching and checking out other people's farm rides.
Ellis Wansley brought his Minneapolis Moline tractor from 1948 from his barn in WIlliamson.
Wansley, like most of his fellow tractor exhibitors, belongs to the Fingerlakes Antique Power Club.
Rouland is looking forward to the tractor pull that includes modified tractors on Sunday morning.
“Boy, they just go flying,” he said. “They're a lot of fun.”
Vendor supervisor Colette Amico agrees that the traditional tractor pull is more fun than it sounds.
This year offers more rides, bumper cars, more vendors, a potato peeling contest, and to Amico's delight, beer-battered French fries.
Organizers place the midway - and all the additional rides - closer to the flea market. Vendor Mary Ann Primm is a little concerned about the noise, but says at least it will bring by more people.
In the stall next to Primm's, Paul Inglesby spent his birthday selling odds and ends in the flea market. One such novelty was the very buggy he sat in when he was a baby.
His favorite part is to watch the bargain hunters as they walk the aisles. And the smell of fair food as it drifts his way.
Naples Grape Festival also takes place this weekend, but Amico isn't worried.
“I think people do the route and follow the different festivals,” she said. She added that the Potato Fest has regulars that come up to all three days.
“There's a lot of community involvement,” Amico said.
Event planner Carol Spellman estimates an attendance of about 7,000 based on previous year's attendance records.
She is taking the place of Spellman this year because of medical issues.
Spellman and her husband, John, organized the festival for the past 11 years. Potato Fest began in 1995 with the goal of bringing back the Empire Potato Company Festival that ended in 1948.
“There's a lot of potato country in this part of the (state),” Wansley said.
Jackson Farms and Wayne Farms, Inc., both of Savannah, donate all the potatoes for festival events.
Bags of white and sunnyside spuds sat piled on tops of pallets, waiting for the various activities - including potato art, a peeling contest and for - the lucky few - a potato gun shoot-out.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be contacted at 253-5311 ext 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
Barbara and Donald Martin come all three days each year to event off of Route 31 in Savannah.
The Elbridge couple look forward every year to perusing the rows of crafts in the flea market portion of the event.
“We always to come and watch the music (show) and the potato wrestling,” Barbara said.
She also takes the opportunity to pick up local vegetables. The Savannah Chamber of Commerce peddle produce for a fund-raiser.
More women and children are getting in on the action at Potato Fest, Don Rouland said. However, Rouland didn't bring any of his 24 tractors to display at the event this year. He said he is looking forward to watching and checking out other people's farm rides.
Ellis Wansley brought his Minneapolis Moline tractor from 1948 from his barn in WIlliamson.
Wansley, like most of his fellow tractor exhibitors, belongs to the Fingerlakes Antique Power Club.
Rouland is looking forward to the tractor pull that includes modified tractors on Sunday morning.
“Boy, they just go flying,” he said. “They're a lot of fun.”
Vendor supervisor Colette Amico agrees that the traditional tractor pull is more fun than it sounds.
This year offers more rides, bumper cars, more vendors, a potato peeling contest, and to Amico's delight, beer-battered French fries.
Organizers place the midway - and all the additional rides - closer to the flea market. Vendor Mary Ann Primm is a little concerned about the noise, but says at least it will bring by more people.
In the stall next to Primm's, Paul Inglesby spent his birthday selling odds and ends in the flea market. One such novelty was the very buggy he sat in when he was a baby.
His favorite part is to watch the bargain hunters as they walk the aisles. And the smell of fair food as it drifts his way.
Naples Grape Festival also takes place this weekend, but Amico isn't worried.
“I think people do the route and follow the different festivals,” she said. She added that the Potato Fest has regulars that come up to all three days.
“There's a lot of community involvement,” Amico said.
Event planner Carol Spellman estimates an attendance of about 7,000 based on previous year's attendance records.
She is taking the place of Spellman this year because of medical issues.
Spellman and her husband, John, organized the festival for the past 11 years. Potato Fest began in 1995 with the goal of bringing back the Empire Potato Company Festival that ended in 1948.
“There's a lot of potato country in this part of the (state),” Wansley said.
Jackson Farms and Wayne Farms, Inc., both of Savannah, donate all the potatoes for festival events.
Bags of white and sunnyside spuds sat piled on tops of pallets, waiting for the various activities - including potato art, a peeling contest and for - the lucky few - a potato gun shoot-out.
Staff writer Jessica Soule can be contacted at 253-5311 ext 267 or jessica.soule@lee.net
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